Jim Ross Blogs on Cena vs. Punk From Raw, The WWE Hall of Fame, More

On Lesnar vs. Triple H: I really enjoyed the hot start to Monday Night RAW from Dallas and also the close of the broadcast which translates to me into a good broadcast. Dallas was a legit sell out, I couldn’t even get tickets for a few friends, and the crowd helped make the show better. The McMahon-Heyman in ring confrontation told a brief albeit short story that set up the HHH-Lesnar confrontation nicely. Lesnar needed, allegedly 12 or more staples in his head to close up a nasty gash that he received in a collision with the ring post. BTW the ring post generally wins those meetings. I am hopeful that HHH vs. Lesnar is a major part of WM29 and I have NO issues with this or any other viable match being a ‘return’ contest. Those that have issues with big time matches having a second go around have issues that I honestly can’t fully fathom. I can’t think of too many, major WWE main events that haven’t had a return match with the exception of a small handful. This concept has been around since before I got in the business in 1974 and is a viable part of the fabric of what sports entertainment is.

On The WWE Hall of Fame: Amazes me how some who follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ or hit our Q&A section of the site can differentiate a WWE HOF induction for a celeb from an active participant. Donald Trump going in the ‘celebrity wing’ is essentially an honorary award and should not be confused with someone like Bruno or even a broadcaster like Mean Gene Okerlund. However for some reason there are many who feel that Trump is going into the WWE HOF over say, for instance, Macho Man Randy Savage, etc. That’s simply NOT the case but many refuse to want to understand this matter. BTW Donald Trump made many contributions to WWE including WM’s 4&5 and his involvement in the hair match with Mr. McMahon at WM23 did huge business. I take personal offense when I am tweeted that the WWE HOF is meaningless. I wear my WWE HOF ring daily and feel very blessed to have been inducted in 2007.

On Cena vs. Punk: I thought that the Cena vs. Punk match that filled approximately the final 30 minutes of Monday Night RAW was one of the absolute best RAW TV bouts that I can remember in a long, long time. The near falls continued to escalate as did the effort and physicality of both men. Punk working such a high level match after flying back from Turkey and battling jet lag as well as a motivated John Cena was $2 steak tough. Cena adding a few new wrinkles to his offense was surprising and effective. Both men had a noticeable sense of urgency which never fails to translate well if it is genuine and this certainly was. Bottom line is that two, main event talents had something tangible to fight for, the opportunity to compete for the WWE Title at WM29, and were allotted the appreciate TV time to tell us a helluva story. Not enough can be said about the pacing of the match and how it built to a significant crescendo. My black hat is off to both men as these are the types of main events that announcers throughout the ages have embraced and love to broadcast.